
Class Ld4| 



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ik^ ii:i£)Dm:ie@ 



DELIVERED BEFORE THB 



EUPHEMIAN SOCIETY 



OF 



CLARK AND ERSKINE SEMINARY, 
ABBEVILLE, So. Ca. 

AT IT» 

THIRD ANNITERSAHY: 

September 22, £842. 

BY 
VV. A, SmTH, M, D. 



ANDERSON, S. a 
PRINTED BY J. P. REED.. 

1842. 



EuPHEMiAN Hall, C. 6c E. Seminary, 
September, 2lst, 1842. 

Sir: — We, the undersigned Commitlee, acting as the organ of ths 
Euphemian Society, announce the high approbation with which your 
able, appropriate, and eloquent address was received; and tender you 
our sincere thanks for the same, with an earnest request tnat you would 
place in our hands a copy for publication. 
Very ReepeclfuUy, 

D. P. ROBINSON, 



D. McCRERY, 
J. P. WEEa 



To Dr. W. A, Smith, 



Abbeville Dist;, September 21st 1842. 

Gentlemen : — I accede to your request, though with some degree of 
reluctance, arising from the fact, that the address to which youi note ol 
this evening alludes in a compHmentary manner, was hastily prepaied 
during the pressure of business, andl fear altogether undeserving of the 
interest and merit with which your paitialities have invested it. 

Accept, Gentlemen, the best assurance of my high regard for your So- 
ciety, as well as your own individual welfare. 
I am with great Respect, 

Your obedient Servant, 

W. A. SMITH. 
To Messrs. D. P. Robinson, 
D. McCrery, 
J. P. Weed, 

Committee of Euphemian Society. 









Awmmmm^ 



liADics AND Gentlemen: — 

After a lon^ exposure to tlie relaxing influence of a Bummer'e sun, 
in the official discharge of arduous professional duties, 1 feel but illy qual- 
ified to represent I he promising Society which has honored me with a 
call to the station I now occupy. My thoughts and actions have nec- 
essarily been directed to a very difTerenf sphere— and although I highly 
appreciate the cause which thus siajnahzes nie in the public eye, lean- 
not but feel the peculiar embarrassments arising from inexperience, and 
from want of lime for due pieparation. The wailful cry, and sympa- 
thetic tear that haunt the couch of affliction, spreading cold melancholy 
around eveiy heait — chilling every budding prospect, and obscuring ev- 
ery ray of hope, would appear more natural and familiar tome than the 
literary feast, of the present moment; where the mind, full of lively im 
agination, leaves the great ocean of business and care, to recall associa- 
tions of by -gone days, and sport again in the flowery meads of early 
existence. 

On occasions of this kind, where halls of science have been thrown 
open, and their mysteries and beauties unfolded to the public gaze by 
youthful intellects, we are naturally led to contemplate man, at least 
the literary cliaracter in every stage of his existence. VVe view him in 
mental twilight, the object of parental tenderness and solicitude, perhaps 
the subject of many flattering remarks from friends and observers. But 
whUe the parents are elated with the gratifying allusions made to their 
son, the child himself regardless of eulog}", indulges m innocent sports 
along the shore of life's tempestuous sea, unconscious that billows of 
care and trouble rise and swell, and roll along, either to break harmless 
at his feet, or to overwhelm liim with ruin and disaster. 

After the days of mere childhood are past, the lovely youth is intro- 
duced into the primary school, and makes some proficiency in acquiring 
the rudiments of an P^nglish education. We next arrive at the "grove of 
Academus," wliere Virgil still sings of shepherds tending their flocks upon 
the wild mountains of his native land, and Homer eulogises the daring 
ppirit and inventive genius of the proud Gieeks who rescued Beauty 
from her prison house within the walls of Troy. It is at this stage of 
education that the powers of the mind begin to develope; it is then that 
the scintillations of genius begin to be evolved— and that the occasional 
coruscations of intellect afford encouraging evidence of future greatness 
and celebrity. Here too, in this season of mental developement, it Home- 
times happens that he who was in childhood the son of promise, the pride 
and hope of fond parents, is found to be the doli of the Academy, and 
10 possess a mind better adapted to the latitude of the carter than to the 



wviciian of Literature and Science. Learinoj the Academy we ]re?cli th$ 
College Hall where the finishing to\ich is received; where science hke 
the sun in his meridian grandeur pours a rich gleam of dazzling hght om 
every thing around. By this light the diliji^ent student is prepared in 
due time to enter the arena of political strife, and conduct the stormy 
debate; or as Pastor, Physician, or Philosopher, to exercise himself in a- 
verling or alleviating the ills of man's present, or future existence. 

Although in this retrospection we may observe many a wasted mo. 
ment, which if rightly improved might have advanced us anotlier link 
in thegreat chain of knowled^^e; yet it is mostly full of agreeable thoughts 
vvhich ihe mind reluctantly gives u\j. IJ'-it when we turn from the pe 
riod of Academic and Collegiate life (a period comparitively free fron» 
care and anxiety) and look along the meridian of life to the days of ripened 
manhood, or !ioary old age, hosv changed i:^ the scene I Oarep, like huge 
mountains rise before tlie mind, and extend far around us— multitudes 
are seen to enter the field of action and spend their efiergies, either in pro- 
moting the general good, or in seeking their own ags^randizement. — 
Thousands crowd aloui? the pathway to the Temple of Fame, and a few 
by dint of perseverance, oi from superior talent and address ejiter with 
exultation her time-honored walls. He who would gain distinctiorVin 
cipher of the learned professions, or in any departmetu of knowledge 
whatever in our day, must be possessed ofat least a certain amotmt of 
genius, and have the organ of application strongly developed. Blind 
chance on her wheel no longer deals out liberal shares qf fortune and 
fame to all who merely asl^, but leaves them to be won by those posses- 
sed of genius and erudition in the field of competition. If then educa- 
tion or its results, knowledge, be power— if it give to its possessor a ceip- 
prianding influence in society— if it enable him to promote the heft in- 
terests of the human species, and to sustain wlih philosophic firmnests 
the many ills to which man is subject — let us strive lor the golden acqui- 
fciiion, for now is the day when all lis energies and agencies are most ur- 
gently demanded. 

Permit me on this occasion to call your attention to some observa- 
tions on the facilities enjoyed in our day of acquiring knowledge — on the 
benefits resulting from a correct education, together with some remarks 
on the course of instruciion now pursued — its faults and efficiency. 

When we contrast the. present with fot mer ages we discover ata glan^q 
the superior advantages which are now enjoyed, not only in acquiring 
the rudiments of an education, but in seciiring all that is refining in lit- 
erature, or profound in science. "I'he Greeks and Romans had their 
primary schools and their Academian Bovvers, but the facilities for acqui- 
ring knowledge in these seats of learning must have been limited indeed, 
compared with the advantages generally enjoyed in such institutions in 
our own day. 'I'hey were under the necessiiy of preparing their books 
with the stylus or pen on parchment cr papyrus, and of course their 
i^timber and varietv must have been very limited, contrasted with the 
rich variety and abundant supply which is now afforded, by the inven- 
tion of paper and the press, to the countless number of schools of every 
grade, from the infant institution up to the magnificent and well endowed 
University. Had it do 'been for these inventions, and the s.timulu!» to 



efTorf, which ih.e.y have ("xriietlanc] aronpfd, and the hjappy ronseqnen- 
ceB resullini? f^om lha( eObil, how far wojild pducation he lhi« day, it) 
advance of wliat it, was in dit^, days of Augustus 0?nr? How manv 
of those works on plvilo.-»opiiy, rnoral8 and rnafhemaficrj, whicii enricli 
and adorn po many pnhlic and private Jibrnrjpa, nnd are found, in al.'oiii' 
institution?, from the comjnon scfioollo theColiesre how many of thenj 
would have h^en prepared atali, or the topics on wijicli they treat invesf- 
gatedjhad their auihorsheeuassisred that every bool-:. and every succeeding 
edition of their re?peclive works must be written out in fair legible char- 
acter'? by theslow moving: pen 7 Arid if such works were wantinsf what 
a-i obstacle wouki be presented to jhe advancement and gefierai ,difn!s- 
ion of knowledge! 

Every age is distinguished by some pecunar feature or characfpri?- 
tic. From the sixth to the fiftef nth century i^ a period denofnjnaied oii 
the historic paire as the Dark f/j^r^..^. and the preseru may be <ruly terr>^'' 
ed an ajje (/. hi^ltt when controstHl with such gioomine^s. No period 
will compare with the present ;isio to the general diffusion of kno«vledirp» 
We find at a particular ep3ch in the history of (.ireece (fe Rome, that ihopo 
nations covdd bo9?l of piiilosoplsers, orators, historians, and poete — Geni-) 
and Giants in jnteilect, •nnny of whom enjoyed a pre-eminence amcn^; 
their countrymen in learnitipc and philosopiiy, btit hke scarce and wide!?/ 
distant limiinaries, they shoise will the biiHiancy of pianola-, while mii- 
lions pf obscure sta«s rempined alloc^ethpr unnoticed. Science and liter- 
ature were with them cultivated by a few only, compared with 
the great Tuass of their population — and even those few, though they 
culminated high in the firmament of knowledge, as knowledge then ex- 
isted, yet as to extent, correclness ?nd depth of k now led s^e, they ben r 
no comparison to the learned and dis,iinguished charactered of Europe 
and America. 

And why wap the mass of the people of those far-famed nations soif^- 
norant <fc superstitious? W by were »heir philovsophers and sages so far be- 
hind in correct profound and useful knowledge the same clnss of men nt 
the present day? The answer is they, lacked the facilities that wq 
enjoy. They possessed minds as bold, searching and energetic asanv 
of this age, but they lacked liie priniing-|)ress, «he books, the coemirn), 
astronomical, and philosophic apparatus, which endow and embellish all 
our higher institutions. 

But passing from Greece; and Romp, what, we ask, was the s(afe of 
Education during the middle ages 7 peplorable indeed ! The black 
cape ofa starless night hung over the land! An extmguisher v;a?? 
placed upon every rnental efTort; and for a mind to force its fetters— to 
think iudependantly and communicate its thoughts to the world, was ?i 
crime of no small magnitude. And even after the darkness of this diVmaf 
night of ages was dispelled, and a fail Aurora had beg^;n to dawn upon 
the world, the rich blessings of education were still tasted onlyjiy a feu- 
favored individuals, who formed a class of society peculiar to themselves-^ 
distinct from every other class, and only came down among the people? 
when they chose 'to sloriTi the public niind, and weild it in purposes o? 
their owti choice. This stale of things continued too, long after th^ 
public taste had become thirsty for general knowledge, and ior amor^ 



rational nrrnn^empnt, of fociPAy. But for ihe want of public Seminnries 
of lenniinp well eodowetl and conduci'^d by learned and compeleiU 
(earfierp, many a mind who^e genius under a proper cuUnre, mighl have 
fhed n ray of light, jicross the world, was doomed to imbecility— left 
wirhout (he benefit of instrnction, to grope its way in midnight darkness 
or to feast upon the letrends and pitifnl sophistry of some dreaming rn- 
ihiifiiast. A few imiversiiies existed on theroniinent of Europe previ- 
ously to the Reformation, but they were poo'ly endowed, and most genr 
erally conducted by a single teaclier— rather nurseries of ignorance and 
f^uperstilion than schools of learning dnd knowledge. 

How many gieat minds th'nk you —bow many BaConp, Boyles, 
Ijocke?, and Newtons were 1 )pt to the world in those days, f^'oni the 
want of being placed in favorable circumstancebatid enjoying proper ad 
vantage?? 

Bat now the eceneis changed —education is abroad in the land, and 
wherever pheerectp her temple?, ttiere virtue, learning, and knowledge 
Jjold perpetual domininn. H'ho^does not perceive the benefiis arising 
from such inptilutions ? A pf)int of general enquiry is excited in the 
neighboihood wherethey are located— minds are brought into contact — 
opinions and principles discussed, and as knives sharpen each other by 
friction, so this collision of mind gives ei]ge and acuteness to the inlei- 
leclual faculties. 

'J'he tree of knowledge is no longer cultivated in garden ppots as 
ibough it were an exotic, but springs up spontaneor.sly, boih in the field 
and in the forest, extending its ri:bly laden boughs in every direction, 
inviting all to partake of its golden fiuits. 

The p-esent syst.em of thorough and extensive education affords us 
a rational means ofaccounting correctly for the apparent vanishing of 
the "Augustan age of England;" not that knovrledge has deteriorated 
by a more general cultivation, or that men are less enlightened now than 
I hey were then— but from the fact that the "pigmies have sprung up in'o 
nisn, and the giants no longer appear of coloss il staiure by comparison." 
All that rich store of learning and knowledge which at one period ap- 
peared to be monopolised by a Hume, Robertson, Lock, Newton, and a 
.Johnson and their compeers, has by theeasy and abundant means of 
pecuring instruction been communicated to the mind of myriads of of li- 
fers, and all that Gibbon tells of the '^decline and fall" of a'mighty Em- 
pire, wbi::h cost him so much laboi and research, may now be command, 
ed in a short time by the diligent student. 

The beiiefits reBuWmg from a thorough Education are too numerous 
to be generrally pointed ou) in the courseof a short address. As knowl 
fdgeis diffusable its blessings are not confined merely to those whose 
minds have been cultivated, but like light and caloric it difTuies itself 
throughout all the ramifications of society, warming and cheering more 
or less, eventhog3 who have never tasted for themselves. 

It is only those however who bavefrequented the Halls of science, &, whoso 
minds have undergone a thorotigh schooling, that are able to appreciate 
fully the advantages arising f-om a well cultivated intellect. Among 
other benefiis arising from i be attainment of knowledge, there is an in- 
ward secret gratification arising from the mere fact of knowivg-~m\ inex- 



prassible emotion of pleasure with which the igiiorant and iHilcrate do Dot 
iiiterjTieddle. But vvhiUt this id one oflhe hlegsingsot'educdiiou m-t in 
be contc'imied, it w lo the herievoleut mind one of scarcely s^jecDiidary 
importance compared with the facility and eiTicienoy with whrcii edu- 
cation enabled liim on a large •icc.le to promote the ha|)piiieij of lii:* 
fellow-creatures. The pleabur:itie emoliorid which arise in the mind of 
a kind and sympathetic nian, whether preaclier, physician, or lawyer, 
fro'i» the acqnisiiion of kiiowieugt^, is a very smiiU ddvar.iage in com- 
parison with the ability wliioh that knowledge affords him in healing 
ihe mental or physical wounds of his fellow man, or of hcloing the acditd 
of justice between nuii> and man, and defending ihe cause of injured iii- 
nocence. And further: 

When Education i^ tiiorough — wljen [jropcr piinciples have been 
inculcated itgives ta the energetic mind a comtriandinginliuence in bo 
ciety — it equalizes rank by placing the man of letierd, though in indi- 
gent circumstancesj upon an equality, if not lur above tlia ignoranr, 
though lordly possessor of large estates, 

It is to the progress of education, and to the universal inculcation of 
correct principles that we are to hope for the continuance of our gioiiouj 
Republic, and for tlie preset vaiion of all those privileges civil, social, and 
domestic that we this day enjoy. It is ciiietly by tiiis means that wo 
are to keep in due subordination the redimdantand ignorant population 
of Europe, which is now pouring in upon us with such fearful rapidity — 
rt is by this that wears to stem that spiiit oi mobocracij which is iiow 
sa rife in tlie land, arid so disgraceful to the nation, it is by this meanc? 
that we are to hope for the complete emancipation of (he human mind 
from all those superdfitiou.^, persecuting and iiUolerant opinions and 
practices which have long proved so detrin^eniai lo human happii;esr.-. 
Much has already been accomplished in this respect by th« progress of 
education. Read the records of tlie past and you will find much oCcu-- 
sion to rejoice in this onward march of intellect jN'o sacriticial offering 
of human souls are now made in this enlighteficd land for the puipose 
of appeasing the anger of imaginary Gods! No martyrs are now brought 
to the stake for the advocation of truth and vinae — nor the sentence of 
death longer passed and eACCuted upon liiose v;ho choose to practice 
themselves and instill into the minds of others, wisdofn, piety and mod^ 
eiation. But in the peaceful quiet ofour temples all gladly meet to oiler 
up their devotions to the one only living and true Uod — and that wh.cli 
was thought by the ancients iti Socrates as deserving the poisonous ex- 
tract of hemlock, is every where cherished: and linds a habitation and 
ardent lovers, not in the grove on the banks ot the illyssns, but in nnmer^ 
ous well-endowed, commodious edifices, like the proud Sen^inary tliat 
towers yonder, still under the hand3 of the Architect, and destined to !asi 
for ages, shedding Us benign and illuminaiing inlluence onthepr-s- 
ent and succeeding generations. 

Mere professional titles are not now as they once were, sufficient to 
confer distinction upon all those who are uble to purchase them, bu^. 
5uch distinctive appellations are appreciated and r'ghiiy .too, in picpor- 
tion to the amount ot the ingredient knowledge which they aie found to 
to leprcecnt. Hypothesis and wild speculaiion are uo longer iclcruteti' 



8 

irV science, I'Ul asuUliiy i» the »*pirif ot'iliea^V, the philofcopber in searlv 
)?Vj| alter knowletifre feol» con^rruiru-'tl lo <:uiilij)« himself wiihiu tiie so- 
Ijiji- iiiniib' of muh. Cli;ackery and vain presnmpiion, the boasted 
vebliue of a pigmy, no longer dazzle, but the pieienyionsof tfie mounte- 
itank are every v\ iiere<'ai]ed in quei^iion, ihus shewing the advantages 
aiisin.q;from the general diifusion of knowledge and independant thought. 

]t is nolbmijcieni ihat we possess genius alone, for' genius unediicated 
olien runs wild, and deals in explosive compounds, whicli result in its 
own dei3{ructibn, 8eli-tanght jnen or such aa have arrived at distinc- 
tion for liierary atJainments, without having- undergone the formal dis- 
c»j)line of Academies atid Colleges are not ersamples di^^proving tire benfits 
of iiducarion, for if we study the history of such men we will over find 
iiiat ihev have Iftariied by a lifeof hard exiTerience in the great; school of 
file world, what we learn in the shad\ retreats of our semiiiaKies and' 
Colleges. He wMio relies upon native talents and forttiitbus circumstan- 
vesto ellect forhi/ii what education effecls for oihers, will find out hia 
ndstake perhaps too late, v.hcn il e withering touch of age has paral- 
ysed the powers of ids mind. 

The general course of instruction now pursued, itsfaultsanti''itsefl[icibn- 
<*y isa (heme wclihy ol rnoreexrended remarks. If education be what 
i\ is generally coi^ceded to be — the aliment of the human mind — how 
«:aieful then should we be to see that it consists of nothing biit what is 
allogeiher salur;ary in its nature. 

That part of education which should be the most per.^ect, 's as it ever 
JWsbeen blill tlib most ileficient. This in a good degree is liiS fault of 
flie teacher and hia employers, and arises from an inadequate conceptiou 
oi iheobj'ect in view. If the talents and acquisitibns demanded on the 
pdil of instructoi't?, and ijie reciprocal co-operation necessary on the 
part of parents and teachers — if these things were rightly understood 
The murmurings and bickerings that are often heard' about slow progress 
iind ligid disciphhe would be hushkl — men of ordinary capacities and 
iiuggish habit© u'ouid uo longer be found at the head of our primary 
i?i:hools — studying rather to [jleaseiHe peculiar whims of the parents and 
guardians than to Uy in sliength that menial foundatioUj upon the su- 
sekrstruciiJTe of whicij depends so much (he wisdom, skill, and ability of 
diose who shall hereafter be called (o regu'atethe movementsofthis migh- 
}y Republic. AVere the Physician in his (reaiment of children to suffer his 
discntninating lAjdgement to became Influenced by the tears and tender 
sympathies of Parents; and the Architect (o failiii executing Btrohgand 
^ejiue the foundation of his buildiiig, how ofi?n would the cold lifeless 
tenement of a departed infant spirit convince the otie, and a crumbling 
edifice the other, offialsiiy and abuseof the high confidence respectively 
li^posed intheir wisdom^and entegrify. Be careful in the first place I o 
peleat men qualified for the business of teach ing, and to them submit the 
ciducation of your children. 

i'>very man of intelligence who has reflected at all on the organizatioQ 
fifschools and the character oi the youthful ndnd — its capacity for re- 
tciviiig insiruction njust have obseiveda great deficiency in the plan of 
t'diicaiion as pursued in our elementary schools. This department is in 
Miany irii^iantoe entrusted to persons who possess little or no qualifica- 



tioMj? winlever fur ihe lAisinesso! teachiiiir— 'iOen lor/ijii whose acrfinVe- 
menls are so ordinary Ot vvho.se liabily aie s;o iiuioieiU ihal ihey camiol ob- 
tain einploymeriL in any of.lter biisiness. Tluis i,he powerful elemenlt; of 
nnnclar sufFered to be beared by one ignorant of ibeit virtues, who instead 
of arranging tj* coniblningiheinijif^uch a manner as lo secure tjjeir Mlast 
efficiency, often neutialiecs inni renders them less efleclual than ihey 
were at first. 

To remedy then thisevil in the education of youili. let a thorough 
system of elementary iustrudion be adopted, ami r^clsools established ia 
every neighborhood where the densily of the populaiion is sufficient to 
^ustaui them; and men en)j)loyed to superintend ihem who aie qunhfied 
for the station both as to iemper aiui abin!y--who understand rightly 
how to apply the fuel, and fan into a blaze the latent sparks of ^.jieniud 
in the minds of youth — whocontrol the passions- — subdue and lead the 
Hon like spirit, as well as caress into conlidence the timid lanib. 

How pain fullo retiect that whiUtin the vigor of youth when the mfnd 
was? tresh, elastic, and free from'therestiaifiis of care, we th'en contract- 
ed from the ignorance of teachers a' hatred to books, which has foflovv* 
ed us up through life, arid been the cause of m^ny unhappy sensation?. 
Youth is the proper season for in;)pjessions— sow then what you would 
reap hereafter; for when once tliis spring-tide of li(e is over, no season a- 
gain will be found so useful. 

Whilst it is allogetlier dedir'able that a good foundation be laid in our 
primary schools, it is also highly important and necessary that in our 
high schools and Colleges a noble superstructure siiould be reared on' 
this solid and subsiancial basis. This di^sirable ol)jeci can be accomplish- 
ed only by an enlarged 4* c(Mrect course of Ccilegiate instruction. 

The common course of Education pursued in our Colleges consists in 
the study of " classics and maiheiBatus,"' or in a more comprehensive 
sense, of Literature and Science. These are both essential, and a good 
education consists in a just proportion of the two. i am however dis- 
posed to conclude, that much lime is often consumed in attending to the 
former, to the great neglect of the latter. The one ripens the njiiid and 
Ills us for the social intercourse of polished society, whilst the other es- 
tablishes and fortifies the judgemeni, and qualifies us for the more active 
duties ot business life. Science is of n.uch more practical ulihly in all the 
business afTairs of life_ and |)roficiency in this department shoidd ever 
be f he criterian guiding the faculty in determining the awards of hbho!' 
to the student. 

It is not my purpose to condemn literature, but (o encourage a more 
general lasfe for the cultivaiioh of Science. Literature that well spring 
of life — that pure fountain of Pierian water, which once tasted ujcreas- 
es so nujch a lenewed relish fur its invigorating drauiihts, is tuo saluta- 
ry in its influence to be condeimied —it islo tiie mind after the s«jlulion 
of dry geometrical problems, what the cool retieat of the grove is to the 
weary traveler of a hot sunimerday — reviving, and j)ioduclive of the 
liveliest liope ot a more pleasing' journey. 

1 cannot think of prescibing limits to any padicular bianch of study," 
orof determining the amount of knowledge necessary to be aiquired 
during the course of Education. Tliis w«juld be a specicsof presunsp 
lion which never fails to leilecl diccrcdit u[)ou one so Immble, 



10 

Let our Colleges throw open every variety of instruction, and if pog- 
sibie infuse into the mind of tiie student universal knowled^s^e.— 
But should it ever befo-und iiecessary to divide the proportions between 
Literature and Science, let the preference be given always to the latter. 
Vegetation is every where refreshed and invigorated by tiie cool shades 
of the evening, but without the return of light and heat it would languish' 
and decay. So the mind is refreshed by promenading the shady re- 
treats of Literature, but without the fostering influence of the sun of 
Science, judgement and reason, the belter faculties, would soon become 
enervated and eventually sink into insignificance. 

Mark the steady, noiseless, powerful and onward march of Science — 
exploring every continent and Ocean for the purpose of making new 
discoveries —of deriving new comforis, and of promoting the health, 
wealth, andhappine^s ofoian: marking out the course of the Kail 
way and Canal— scaling the loftiest mountains with its train of freight- 
ed cars — stealing softly along the canal with its unpretending vessel, 
richly ladened with the productions of the soil — or dashing with dizzy 
rapidity over the waves of the Atlantic in its more ostentatious steamer 
crowded with the ever twooing mass of beauty, gayety, and wealth — at 
one time soaring away to the heavens, holding converse with the plan- 
ets, calculating their distances, examining their changed and mysteri- 
ous operations — and at another descending to earth, instructing the mi- 
ner how and where to find the precious metals — giving lessons to the. 
farmer on soils and productions — aiding the manufacturer in the ar- 
rangement and harmonious operation of his millions of spindles-— invent- 
ing gun-powder, and an improved type, by which the physical powers 
of man are equalized, knowledge diffused throughout every ramification 
of society, and the fair templesof learning and liberty forever secured a- 
gainst the merciless ravages of another Goth-vandalic horde-— holding 
up (he demerits of which every material substance is composed, and 
combining iliem again in a diferent way for the purpose of restoring 
health to the afllicted, and of faciliating Art in all her dispensations of 
blessings to man--explaining the mysterious causes which produce 
the varied seasons, the commotions ot atmosphere and water, as well as 
every dun skirt of cloud that floats tspon a summer's breeze. 

Literature nsay boast of her sublime sentiment and refined taste, her 
minstrels and gay trubadours whose charming songs too often per- 
suade us out in a Trail barcjue upon a political sea, blind to the beacon 
that points to tlie harbor of safety in a storm— -but Science sails in a 
wreckless boat, arjd gives us eyes by which we may penetrate and push 
our observations to every point of the compass, and find the homeward 
track upon the broad bo=om of the pathless deep — Science then is knowl- 
edge, and knowledge is truly power 

The propriety of continuing the study of the Latin and Greek Claa- 
sics in the common course of University education has of late called forth 
sucli a flood of conflicting opinions that 1 feel a delicacy in offering any 
specific remarks upon this part of my subject. Though the learned dif- 
fer on the subject there is still a strong majority in favor of their continu- 
ance. And when we reflect that much of our own language is derived 
from these ancient dialects, we should be disposed to coincide with the 



11 

popular sentiment. Besides the systematic training arid in lei 1 eel u aide- 
velopement, which result from the protracted mental elforts requisite in 
obtaining a thorough knowledge of these languages, they are higldy 
advantageous if notabsoluteljresseniial at present on the part of every 
one who desires to occupy a prominent place in either of the learRed pro- 
fessions. Without such a knowledge, the technical terms which are now 
employed in these professions cannot be readily compreiiended; nor can 
even the commoner sciences be taught to advantage in our institutions, 
for they too arep/incipally built up of terms derived from these languag- 
es* Take for example chemical nomenclature. Here the amount of 
the combining proporuon of every element that unites with a base in the 
formation of chemical compounds, is specifically expressed by prefixing 
a Latin or Greek abbieviation, whicli swells the (erm but lilile. and gives 
us at once a just apprehension of the virtues of the compouud. If then 
we do not understand the meaning of the original term (or which these 
abbreviations are subsiiruted;We]are thrown upon the resources of niemory 
and the recollection ofnumprous, and tons unmeaning definitions, 
which bewilder and retard (he progress of the student, and the practical 
operator in his scientific researches. Surely the time would be well spent 
in acquiring that which would relieve the se/isorlwm co}7i7nune from 
such oppressive taxation. Again, Oxygen, a term signifying tf.e most 
common element in nature, affords no idea of i he chemical proper- 
tiesof that element, but by reverting to its origin iri the Greek language 
we have at once the sole acidilying principle, *S() with every other term of 
similar oiigin. Law, Medicine, and Divinity are full of such ternis, and 
he who attempts to master them without knov.'ing their derivations will 
(ind iiimself traveling over rough ground with a heavy taxed memory; 
while on the other hand the classical scholar derives them with ease, 
and passes on smoothly with a memory enriched, lively and free from 
all taxation whatever. 

But whilst it is highly important to study the ancient languages, 
from which our own is in a good degree derived, v^e should by no 
means neglect to form a thoiough acquaintance v.-ith our own iiulive 
tongue. Wnen we consider the great diversity of our origin as well as 
the varied productions of our soil, bringing us into social and commer- 
cial intercourse with every other nation, we may perhaps be led to con* 
elude that the study of foreign literature and language is more essential 
to us ihan to any other people. And whHe 1 grant that there seems to 
!)e some plausibility in this, I cannot however forget what is due the na- 
tion. Every freeand enlightened nation ^possesses aliteiatme, and to 
some extent a language peculiar to itself, 4^ upon the degree of cu'tivaiion 
to which these are advanced, depeiids the distinction and in a great mea- 
sure the superiority of one particular nation over ti3at ol another. I 
hold it a sacred obligation on the part of every one professitig any preten- 
sions whatever to scholarship, that he not only understand t!ie literature 
of hisowncountrj', but that lie should be able also to speak and write 
his own language in its most improved style, and manifest a preference 
lor it on all occasions both in writing and speaking for without such a 
course no degree of intellectual refinement can become truly national 
in character. So long as Kngland and France continued to be the « 3r- 



vile Iinilalor? nf earh otijf^r., they were stittonary and made noaru-nnre- 
inenf towards their present literary characier. .The same \vasa!so irue 
at one lime of Germany when the rage for Latin aiilhors and oilier 
writers, I'd her to ne(jlect (he impi-.ovement (if her own stron<:^ and \n\- 
pr(^»'^ive Lansftia^ye. Tims the public mind war left without a gmding- 
rule to catch at whatever dazzled, oi to tloat to and fro, like a bliip at 
sea without compaL'S oi an.djor. But when these nations become more 
nation.il: when they Io<>k lo their own resoun-es and direct, their atien- 
tion to the cullivation of their o \n lii' r ture and language they booq 
^slabiish a literary character wor'hy of all admiration, and one too which 
lia? obtained for them universal di^'inction. i$o may this nation when 
we once learsi to apprxiale pr.jperly our own character and resources, 
and look at hoine and notabroid for themesand examples of grealtiet-'s 
worthy of our pens and patronage. 

Let us give to (he others a II ihey ju>^ly merit, but ever li old par red that 
which i«?dueto ourselves Wesiiould study anrl improyeour own lit- 
erature and language, witlj the view of es(ab!ishin<i:our literary charac- 
ter as a nali.in. 'I'his has been done to some extern but by far too muclj 
tieglected. Some foreign tourists allow ns just so much distinction as 
our hospitality atsd generosity will purchase; but when they come tq 
inake out the list of nati mis distinguished in' high literary attainments 
pur ho.^jiitality avails us nothing. Why is this/ Is the climate insalu- 
brious to the luxurious growth, and mature developemeMt of the in'el- 
lectual faculties? I grant (bat mind umy be withered by thescorching 
Jnlluence of a torrid sun, or chilled and sturmed in its growth upon tjie 
frigid shoies ofZeland ; — but outs is a tetnperaie zot)e. And in addi- 
tion to the favorable position in which we are [ilaced in respect (oclimatq 
as a nation we can boast of a great and renowned ancestry, which con- 
sideration should stinmlate us to excel in literature, as well as every 
ihir^g else that is useful, glorious and great. \Vashing(on, JefTerson, 
Franklin and a host of worthies, who gave birdi to this Republic — who 
guided the councils of the !iation — who stood firm and erect like giants 
refreshed by sleep, encountered and repulsed upon the bloody field (he for- 
midable f.je in that dark hour which tried men's souls — these are our 
national ancestors, our political fathers, and their names and achieve- 
ments should have done as mucli to establish ilie literary as the heroic 
character of the na(ion. A Hotri'^r or a lirgil would have depicted not 
the ficticious but the real ciiaracterand aclieivementsol such an ances- 
try, in poetic strains so glowing eloquent and sublime as to have estab- 
hshed forever the literary character of these U:iiied Stales. 

Does our country (hen alTord no themes snlficient to develope and 
command (he genius of her sons, and call forth from (hem literaiy pro- 
ductions of such a high order as to preclude the necessity of depending 
so entirely for such works upon foreign authors? The deeds of noble 
(daring which those brave spirits accomplished, who rui-hed forJh (o the 
rescue of Liberty, v. hen the murky cloud of war was gathered thick and 
vStorming heavily every where around them — the character and conduct 
of those ruthless savages who once prowled through our forests, wi(h 
their tomm) luuvks and scalping knives, driving (error into every heart, 
and plundering the houses of beieaved mothers and cliildien— Thepres- 



13 

ent ciiiractfirariil orftn.4iH ofili^ nation, \}"i- "instil i^Uons^ poli'ic?, diplomacy 
(fc improvements; T<\2ff^f.hor with iha stnpenrions scenery ihai every where 
prese.Dts ii.^eli : —all i,lie--e alK'ni tliemes on which works of his^h hierary 
nie»-it ir\\<ihl be \vrir.te\ But liow many oi\ raUier how few slandard 
works of Idsiini;' merit have !>een prepared on atiy of these subjects? We 
have \vrit(.cn the history of the Revokilion, and recorded the principal 
r.^r\comure« inwhich our ancestors were exposed durinp^ liie Indian war- 
fare, (fesiiall ii)is heconside'eJ sufTicientio impresa upon the minds of pos* 
teri'.y a sei'se of I heir greatness/ 

iNatjonal recoileciioiis and national feehngs are too much neglect- 
ed hy us: itheiic have been altogether abandoned or thrown aside 
to breathe a confined exisiefice in the commonest circles of life. It is 
j»ot sudjcient tiuit we liavueido<ris(ul the j^reainessand written the liisto- 
>y of our fathers once— this shouki be {ione ap^ain arul again by the 
'•ongtie ofa Detnosih^nos, and thepetisofa IJvy and TdcUns — done 
in the most glov.'inn^, eloquert anri captivating style, so that all classes 
of so;i.ity wouKI gladly lend an attentive ear and he led to peruse them 
vvitfi that eagerutiss anr! deep anxiety, with wliich the lover of romance 
poms over the fanciful but i-erniciouseflbrts ofaBulwer. 

Such sentiments and works would beget in the people a love of ih.em- 
gelves, upon v/liich depends so /nucli the intellectual superiority of the 
nation, it is necessary that we fee! sensible of the greatness of our deeds 
and actions before we can expr^ct that the nunds of others will become 
in icli influenced in our favor: for one nation is often elevated in the 
eyesofanother by the same circumstances whichexalt itin jts own. 

There is nothing so efTectual in giving self confidence to a people as 
f lie fact of knowing and feeling that they are possessed of a renon-ned 
ances'jy —that they have beengieatin former ages. Let them once 
realize fully that tliey have been nursed in the lap of greatness them- 
i-elves !x\k\ they will not be so eager to catch at the baubles, and applaud 
the little acts and acliievements of others 

The Greeks arid ilo:uans always fv>und it important to keep before 
the eyes of their countrymen a renou^ned snceslry. This was the great 
object of the v/ritings of Homer. He held up to the Greeks an ances- 
try renowned for every virtue— prepared alike to undergo with patience 
every hardship of war or to engage with boldness in the fierce cor;fiicls 
of the arena, and carry off the palm. These in that rude age were 
merely stimulentsto martial pursuits but in aRer years they exercised a 
strong influence in refining the feelings and manners of the people, and 
of exciting them to like deeds of boldness in the pursuit and cuitivation 
of literature. Again in the dark ages of the world, when the ruthless 
hand of a northern fae had sacked their libraries, and deprived them of 
every trace of record wliicli lefiected light upon their former greatness, 
they relaxed in their energies and sunk down in apathy around the 
mouldering columns of their fallen temples. 

The fact that ours is a literature and language derived in part from 
other nations is no just reason why we should not attempt vigorously to 
augment and improve upon this imported^capital. Greece derived her 
alphabet from the Phoeuecians, as well as many fragments of ait and 
gcienc3 from the Kgypjians, hut she impioved these advantages andes- 



14 

iabliabed a literary character, and one too liiat slill live? fresi) an«l 
green in the nieniory of posterity. Rome iikewis^e derived all her early 
literature from the Greeks, and she too iransmits (o posterity tlie evi- 
dcFJces of her literary greatness. And as we eni»)y ad van sages far su- 
()erior to those enjoyed by these disiinguifeiied nations, so we should ai;-d 
could establish for ourselves a high liierary cliarader, if we would once 
throw otf this servile dependance upon others and become pioperly ini- 
pressed with a true ssnse of our own superior talents and resources. 

We cannot now [)lead that we are in a state of minority, for as a 
riistinct people we must date our origin from the. landing of the Pdgrini 
Fathers at Plymouth rock, and consequenily we are now in the vigor 
of manhood, and wiihcut a change hoar old age will find us in the same 
position we now occupy as regards literary distinction; for nations like 
men have their season of youth, mardiood and decay. 

In support of the correctness of the remarks respecting our fondness 
for foreign literature, I nught appeal to the (act that there is a strong 
predilection felt every wdiere for the works of irans- Atlantic authors — 
there is a feeling of adoraiioii or of hosnage cherished and manifested to- 
wards such authors, especiedly poets and novelis's^ that is not felt in be- 
lialfofthe wiitingsof native Americans. Should a Bidwer or a" Boz'' 
visit this country tliey would be cheered with the loudest laudations and 
excite the deepest attention, while our own authors would be allowed to 
pas? on in silence. 

The higher classes of fishionable society, from whom the nation 
should expect the mo«t do less perhaps to promote its interests than any 
odier class. Every thinj]^ is sacrificed to fashion which must be built 
\ipao a foreign plan. '^Fhe English novel has accumulated until it 
has crowded from our libra»-ies njany productions of our own country of 
far hi,i;djer value, — works lich in thought and conservat've in inlluence, 
and the urbane Frenc!nn.m has in many instances usurped ihep^ace 
of the noble generous American. And how can a nation with all these 
opposing circumstances clusteiing mound it expect to eslablish its na- 
tional literary character? As uell might we attempt to chain the Heh 
Jespoutyor hurl back the torrent of the Missouri to its far distant source 
in the Rocky Mountains. 

We should remember in our lavish of unmerited prairie upor) tlie for- 
eign a?]l.hors of these fictitious productions, that it is jjaramount in tlieii' 
eye to a tacit acknowledgement of inability on our part to acconsplish the 
same; and although this would notieiiect much discredit upon us, yet 
1 am disposed to think that any man of a well cultivated irund and 
strong iniagination might in the quietude of his closet pick up his pen 
and mfsgnify characters and scenery to such a degree as to give them 
aJtosT ether a novel aspect.. 

Tile grace and true refinement of fashionable society should be approv- 
ed c^aehnired hut much of the nutriment upon whic\) u, subsists, consists 
ofthistra-^hy cljaiacter which should be abhoried, for it Jias often the evil 
effect of diverting the mind fioin njore useful pursuits. Why are such 
0iingssQ eagerly perused. Are there not scenes enough in real life to move 
khe sympathies of the stoutest heart, oi awaken the dullest sensibility into 
khehvehedt admiration of beauty and grandeur, v.iihout the magnifying 



15 

influence of tliese fine ?\mn, flimsy, paltry foreign lu.manceF, by which 
'•' the spirit of the age is tossed hither and'thither, n-.! witliout grea*. and 
frequesiulanger of entirely luring sight of tlie compass of meditation, and 
the polar star of truth?'' Read the history of our own country, see the 
uanowescaoesofso'T'eofourown fatheis, while others are falling'under the 
mangled woundsof an hundred tommy hawks. Go into the indigent 
circles of hfe, and there too my experience tells me may be found nfany 
an object for sympathy upon which to shed youi redundant tears, and 
a benignant Heaven will bless you. Look round upon ail nature— see 
the rich variety she every wlierepresents — go forth into the field, or la- 
the forest and while you admire the beauiiful flowers that cluster in rich 
variety at every step, mark the sweet melody of a thousand woodland 
songsters, gusliingin lavish waste upon every breeze. Enter tfiedark 
caves of the earth 'Svhere the wolf howla all day long, and the sun nev- 
er shines,*' and with lighted taper observe the sublimity of the sur- 
roundinjT scenery, here a pillar, and there a thorough fare — here a Gothic 
arch cj' there a marble centre— here a small cascade roaring on the ear 
with I he noise of subterraneanthunder— and thereinthe cleft rockthejiet- 
rified remains of a race whose existence the extinguishing influence of 
time has long since terminated — or on clinibing the rnouniaijis rug2;ed 
brow lake your stand on some lofty peak, and survey the beautiful 
scenery below — the undulating plain, the meandering stream, the wav- 
ing forest, or the neat little farm house with its fields of living green on 
every side — or from the saine lofty eminence, with telescope in band 
«weep over the starry-decked Heavens of a clear^till moonless nighf, and 
if wildness, beauty, greatness or grandeur ofscenery be any plea for no- 
vel reading, heie may be found a subsiancial, answering every rational 
demand. 

In order then that this nation may become clislin^uisheu for Iiigh 
literary attainments, let the foundation of such distinction belaid broad 
and firm in our schools and Colleges. Let the idea be indelibly im 
pressed upon the mind of every pupil, that as we are superior in many 
branchesof art, and are possessed of inexaustable resources and an un- 
tiring zeal, so we may surpass eveiy other nation in literature anti 
science. Let the student le tauglitto prize the productions of Ameri- 
can authors and to believe that with our privileges, resources and high 
incentives to action, we may by proper application excel in poetry, phiU 
losopfjy, history, and in every other department of literature die distin 
guished authors of Europe. Especially let the attention be luinetl 
from the fictitious works to which allusion has been made, and directed 
Co those high scier)tific irjvestigations, which should ever constitute the 
main point in every well arranged course of study. 

The people of the United States should be the last to indulge h\ fit- 
tton, inhabiting as we do an exterjsivedomain, stretching iVoiii 3Iaine 
to Texas, and from the Atlantic to the Paciiic— including every variery 
of soil and climate and adapted to tlie culture of every species of i-.wdiic- 
tion, — a country adorned. 

"With hill, and dale, and lawn and winding vain,"' 

"Woodland and strean), and lake, and rolling seas," 

"Green mead, and tVuitl'jl tree, and fertile grain," 



"And hef^ and flu^vcr.," 

"With numerous beasta of evfry kind, whii fowi'' 

'•Oi* every wJDOfanii every laneful note.— 

Every thing around ubuve and beneath invites us to indn'ge, not in fic- 
tioa but in the contemplaiioD of lacis, not in di-eau!y reveries, not in cou- 
junug- up. 

'•uorgons. Hydra?, and L'hirner.is dire." to fiig-hien rlie weak, ij* para- 
lyze tiie voiahful mind, but our whole country wiih itjj niineraUcVnieial?, 
its I r nils \fct!o wers inviiesihe mind to the study of the science?, tlie mott 
useful andiniportartt sludy that can engage the aUeoUon of man. 

In every well-directed education (he great object should be to gecuri 
a thorough knowledge of liie sciences— pjriicularly the natural sciences 
when these fiave been once properly comprehended, iV.e ndnd may safe- 
ly sport upon the wings of {'ancy, with the Poet aikd >iovel!st in their 
elemenf of (houglif, or wander among the fuiry flnd ficiicious scenes of 
heathen uivthology, sober judgement di3*:»phned and sirengthened by 
esescise, returns it untafni»hed to the heme af reahiiei; and analyzes its 
varied 3ights by the truths of induction. 

The great incentive to tlie study of llie natural sciences i^- 
the love of nature. And who is so insensible \o iirpressions of beauty 
and grandeur a^ not to admire nature/ Who js not enrap'ured when 
he contemplates t fie greatness, the variety, atid profusion in which she 
spurts/ Alpine mountains rise m majesiic ranges, oiTe above the other 
iKitiltliey mingle with the 'ilouds— their Skies sindded over with liuge 
trees and their summks crowned with perpetual snow. The Tamiiki 
foanis along its ravine bed rifted bya convulsion of nature — m the GrL^ 
on Alps, and Plellers lends his thermal vvaters fo the cure of many a 
hopeless malady. The great sea washes the shores of theever memorable 
Palestine, C^ Vesuvius still periodically emitsasulphurious smoke inpioud 
U'uir ph of ruined Pompeii. The native ofSan>oa lechning upon his njat 
luxuriates i pen the delicious fruits ol his A>tc^-arpu?,d: defies the rich jew- 
els of Golconda. 'J'he Hindoo Snds a grove in every tree and iheLapLander 
dashes over his glacier country to the speed of his raindeer. " The Lion 
coaches in the tad grass of Alrioa, and her forests rescund with her 
beasts ot pr-y. The wild-cat and Panther seek their {v^x\ in the swamps 
and bays of America and the timid deer iiides himself from the red han- 
fer. Myriads of re|jfi'es crawl in ilje mud if each slimy pool, and 
cotmiiess insects sport upon every sunbeam that gleams from itssui^are." 
Stirely Plato reasons well, if-' e^e • ea Ood above and sure there is, for [all 
nature acknowledges it. 

The study of the natural -cicnre?, while it leads to the pjomotion of 
temporal prosperity, likewise improves the heart and elwates the mind. 
It leads the Soul, ''Througii nature up to nature's GokV 

in evei> aire men have been led by \he contemplation of nafure to ad- 
maelhe wstlom andgoddr.ess of the Great Auihor of the Universe,-- 
AvA while indulging m these celestial contemplatioi^s Poets, Oraioi^, 
and Pliiicsqjhers liave burst forth in the most enrapturing stiains o» elo- 
quence respecting the Glory and src^'nessof ths tirand Architect. Nor aie 
tlieitittructioite? tobecierived fronulie study ofnature touching ihe exist- 
ence, po'Atr andgLodaefeiioftbe Great Fttst cause, ceutined To any pi^ 



iicular country or class of men, but while tliese lessons are clearly under 
stood by those who enjoy the light of Revelation, they may be compie- 
hended in some degree by those who are not blessed with such light: — 
the volume of nature is open to all even to the savage — 

"Whose untutored miiid, 

Sees God in clouds or hears him in the wind." 

But while the study of nature and the natural sciences should lead 
the mind at eC^ery step to admire the wisdom and goochiessof the 
Deity, it also renders us conversant with every thing that is useful 
and ornamental in civihzed society. With reference to Chemistry, one 
branch of natural science, Prof. SilHman says, " ihe pupil in this science 
finds every where innumerable applications of his knowledge to purpos- 
es of practical utility, to those of domestic hfe, to the arts which enrich 
and adorn society, and to the illustration of the wisdom, power and 
goodness of that great Being whose pleasure called the physical universe 
into existence and constantly sustains it in oider and beauty." What is 
true of chemistry is true to a greater or less extent of all the branches of 
natural science. 

There is a piofit or pleasure in the highest degree connected with a 
thorough knowledge of the various productions of the mineral, vegetable 
and animal kingdoms. There is pleasure to be derived or profit to be 
enjoyed from every thing that surrounds us in the whole kingdom of na- 
ture. But unless we have studied the sciences to some advantage all 
the rich store of profit and pleasure connected with them will be lost 
upon us. 

To the soul thoroughly imbued with the principles of natural science, 
all nature presents a rich and perpetual feast— a banquet to the mind at 
which it drinks in rivers of pleasure, without becoming cloyed or in- 
toxicated with the large and delicious draughts. Does the man of scien- 
tific attainments walk abroad on a May-day over the fields and lawns — 
blooming & beautiful with a rich variety of flowers ? It is not to gaze idly 
upon t he beauties of vegetable nature — to pluck here t^ there a flower, with- 
out knowing whether it contains a poison or a balm — no he looks with 
an intelligent eye upon the springing grass or the budding flower, and 
with botanic skill he points out the beauty and utility of the various 
productions of the vegetable kingdom. Does he clamber along the 
lofty mountain's brow, or enter the deep caves and caverns with which 
the world abounds. He is not bewildered with the stupendous scenery 
of the mountains, nor lost in amazement when he enters the spacious 
halls, which nature has formed in the bovrels of the earth. He is at 
home amid such scenery, and in every ledge of rocks, in every forma- 
tion of fossil he beholds something pleasing or instructive. And to the 
same individual there is a pleasure in beholding the rich and varied 
plumage of the feathered tribes, or in listening to their matin jsongs, or in 
watching the golden pirch as it cuts the limpid current in its sportive gamS 
bols— a pleasure far more exalted and rational than that which fills the 
mind of him who can only associate birds and fishes with the gratifica- 
tion or cravings of an epicurean appetite. 

All that is practical and all that is pleasing in life, is connected directly 
or indirectly with this branch of study. In its circle it embraces the Heav- 



13 



cnaand Eni\h. .Aitivaomr, Oeography, Geology Mineralogy, Omi. 
tholojry, Chemistry and otlser branches belong to Physical science, and 
it i« highly grafi^ying to witness the atienlion that is now paid to rheee 
dilferent hranohesin all oi-r higher in8(itinions--to hear of theestablish- 
mesu of Lyreumr*, Musei^Mis and ihe great National institution at the 
Capitol City. . _ 

But although something has been done m tni3 couniry to promoter 
the interests of sciei^.c^, yet nnuch, very much, remains to be accom- 
plished. Let then the cause be advanced, let it be the main object in 
every edncafion, let every ona contribute to the general fund his mite of 
practical inforsnation until this branch of knowledge shall be broughi 
ti) p-irfecJioM, and every enterprise based and conducted upon estabhshed 
Mcienti'ic prtnciples— until the- .^ronavU shall sail in hv silken vessel 
far above the regions of the tempest and storm with as^much safety and 
succes-', and far more rapidity than th') proud steamer glides over the 
swellini^ billovvg of tha Ocian— untd the Astronomer shall sq improve 
his in«framei\fs as to ir)^i\\^y th« planets a thopand fold more than 
can be done at the pret^evil day, and shall behold not merely the spors 
Rm\ the supposed elevations and depressions upon the surface of the. 
moon, hut shall vicv/ with minntenesa and accuracy all her diversified 
and crjoiious ocenery— ahall discovsr witli clearness her lowing rivers, 
iier mountain peaks, her ''cloud capped towers and gorgeous palaces,' 
and shall ev6n descry he: celestial inhabitants as they move wiili an' 
trelic ^iep ir.^on her silvery surface. 

^ EuPHEHi ANS :— You, Gonllems^in, have combined your associated esr- 
ertiona foi the promotion of seience and a sound liteiature. And al- 
Ihoui^h bnt ihjee brief years have had their fieeting rounds since the first 
anniversarv o* your society, already does its celebration afiract a min- 
gled throng of beauty and intelligence. This is indeed flattering and 
enccuragiBg--and evidence of th*} jaflt;:es3 of your cause—of the deep in- 
terest^fek u\ the welfare of your association, and of the ( /ollege with 
Nvhich it h connected. , . , 

To BtrifFgla for khowledge is the noblest struggle in tlie power of man 
to make. And if the^student be true to himself his efforts are not rewarded 
Uk9 thos3 of the Grecian cor testor, or the time serving politician with a 
crowa of fading laurels, or the short lived applause of the vacillating 
multitude, but the man of true knowledge lives forever. As when some 
heavysabstance breaking upon thestillnessof theOcean's sluiabering wa- 
ter throws k into circular waves which widen out in every direction until 
they reach the shore or are lost in the distance, so the sphere cf the wise 
and virtuous man's influence exiends withtlie progress of tiir.e— reach- 
es down to distant agea and his name shines brighter and briglster as 
posterity learns to appreciate his worth. ,, . 

Suffer no .means of improvement to be neglected, nor any aciusive- 
ness of hope to depress or dampen your spirits, but be ever active, vigor- 
ous, manly and bold. Build all your eiTorts upon that sure foundation 
of learning and science, and let your watchword be onioard, 'i'hat in- 
imitable author Sir Walter Scott, who in Romance had no superior, and 
in poetry was smootti and sublime, describing the adventured of Roder- 
ick Dhu. or 



19 



"Clinabinff th« dark brow of the mighty Melrelija '• 
declared that he "would give one half of the reputation which he had 
acquired, provided he could rest the other half upoQ a sound foundation 
of learning and ecience. 

There is one thing of which you may be well assured^-.-no maUer 
what may be your situation in after life, whether you bask in the nieri 
dan sunbeams of prosperity or sink down amid the ills ot affliction and 
disappointed hope, you will never look back with emotions of reffret to 
the time you may spend in the pursuit of knowledge. But like that 
conscientious feeling which prompts to the discharge of every duty and 
sustains the virtuous soul in adversity, knowledge will buoy up m th« 
midst of the great eea of life m defiance of all opposing wind* and car 
rents, and enable you to exclaim in the language of the Poet 

''Though the Ocean loar around me, ' 

It still shall bear me on. 

Though a desert should surround me, 

It hath springs that may be won," 

To THB Graduates : 

Gentlemen, Your Collegiate life is now over. Your able President &, 
Professors after conducting you eafely through all the fatigueiog tho' a- 
greeable windings of a libera! education, now relinquish their superintea- 
dence, & commend you to a world which sometimea flatters and fawns 
but more often proves cold end uncharitable. You must now bid a lonff 
farewell toyoi:r •'AlmaMater,''and at a moment too when ghe preaenw 
brighter and fairer prospects to her sons. But before you leave suffer ma 
in behalf of your fiourishing Society to preeent you with these JDiplamas 
an humble acknowiedge^ient of your standing and merit. Recieve 
ihemamid the chedrsand approving smiles of an intelligent audience as 
Euphemiayis worthy of mere lienors than parchment csan confer. ' 

This is indeed m many respects a cold unfeeling world:-— For evdry 
pure fountain of pleasura there is a wide and deep flowing stream of 
sgolicitude. 'IVoubles will r'se and foam like billows to cvcrwheiwi 
you— friends will flatter and enemies deride. But amidst all these vi- 
cissitudes of life you will find that 

"There's nothing so becomes a man, 
As modeit atiliness, and hu:aility :" — 
be thiseveryourguide,-— if however in attempting to conform to thi« 
preceptj you should find persecution like a vatnpire at your hearts, fuck- 
ing the hlotxi of reputation, tread upon the demon, and let but the voic« 
of a Euphsmian be raised in his own cause, and Envy and Malice and 
Slander and green-eyed jealousy with their drawn beeomg o/deatructioa 
will quake like raed^ to (he storm and fly abashed, to their native JSfell 
leaving )'our characters brighter and purer by every trial. 



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726 



